


Super Sleuth Brothers Ultimate

by Normal_Ghost



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Drama, Gen, Hyrule Castle, Meta, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-23 00:41:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Normal_Ghost/pseuds/Normal_Ghost
Summary: Fighters from every Super Smash Brothers games have joined together at Hyrule Castle to celebrate right before their game is released. However, it seems that not every sees this gathering as just a friendly game, as Nintendo's mascots, Mario and Luigi, are found at a most disturbing scene.





	1. New Game

**Author's Note:**

> Notice: this work is unfinished, but not abandoned. Stay tuned for new chapters and updates

It was the Saturday after the official Super Smash Brothers Ultimate announcement for the full roster, and the entire cast had been invited to Hyrule Castle to celebrate. It was the most exclusive party in gaming, and every fighter from Animal Crossing to Xenoblade Chronicles was there. Of course, to prevent random riff-raff from sneaking in, these fighters were the only ones allowed inside, leaving much of the set-up to be done by the guests. It was set to be a perfect party, but hours before the main dinner was set to be served–a most disturbing scene was already set. Anyone that wasn’t hard at work was mingling in the grand Hyrulian ballroom when a classic blue hedgehog suddenly burst into the room.

“Everyone!” Sonic yelled as he skidded to a halt, “Either Luigi’s decorating has gone total picasso, or something _terrible’s_ gone down in the main hall!” The large group murmured to each other as they shuffled to follow the speedster as quickly as they could, being lead through the twisting hallways of the ancient castle.

Arriving, the once grand great hall wasn’t a pretty sight. Bits of burst balloons littered the floor, charred streamers had been ripped from the walls, the tablecloth was tangled in the (now broken) chandelier, and the long, grand dining table had been chopped into wood chips. The guests all anxiously murmured to each other as they entered the destroyed dining area.

“Ha ha! I _knew_ that green goober was gonna mess this up!” Bowser Jr. sneered, before being harshly shushed by his father.

“Huh,” Snake began, “There’s definitely been foul play. Something about this doesn’t seem right.”

“Pika!” Pikachu added.

“Wait! Where _is_ Luigi?” Robin asked. The group scanned the room, looking for any signs of the Luigi in this travesty.  
“I’ll find him in a flash!” Sonic began, before being interrupted by horrified monkey screeching from the kitchen. The fighters rushed to the source, only to find Diddy Kong panicking as he pointed at Luigi’s body laying on the floor. The perplexed party became more frantic, and Daisy pushed to the front of the crowd to see what happened to her friend.

“He’s not breathing!” she yelled, trying to shake him awake.

“Where’s Mario?” Peach sobbed, “Mario was supposed to be with him!”

Questions and accusations flew around the room, no one how this situation could get any more baffling. What happened to Luigi? Why was the hall sabotaged? As he crowd all tried to investigate the rather-small kitchen, they were soon drawn to the frenzied barking and quacking over by a nearby trash can. The duck hunt dog seemed to have found something in the garbage, and, after a moment of investigation, it pulled out a familiar bright red cap. The shocked group gasped, and a toad somberly delivered the hat to its princess.

“Mario never leaves his hat behind,” she whimpered, tears welling in her beautiful blue eyes as Sheik offered her a handkerchief. The room was broiling with confusion and fear.

“Everyone, stay calm,” Zelda began, wisely attempting to gain control of the situation, “Who here a doctor? Or a healer?”

“Please, please! Let a-me through, I’mma doctor,” Dr. Mario said as he made his way to the body. He crouched down, moved his stethoscope up and down Luigi’s chest, then shone a flashlight into his patient’s eyes and mouth.

“What are you seeing, doctor?” Zelda asked. Dr. Mario let out a heavy sigh as he put the stethoscope around his neck, unsure how to break his findings. He leaned over, whispering something into the Hylian princess’ ear. Though she seemed shocked at first, Zelda gathered herself before quieting the room and speaking again.

“Friends, I am afraid that we have a most dire situation on our hands. The doctor has informed me that Luigi–is dead. It’s very likely _murder_. Moreover, the celebration dinner has been sabotaged beyond repair, and Mario – is missing.”

“Oi, not again,” Daisy mumbled, while the rest of the room again erupted in controversy and worries. Suspicions, confusions, and accusations were flying from fighter to fighter, no one quite seemed to know what to do.

“Hey! Why isn’t Luigi respawning? I thought we had unlimited lives right now!” King Dedede asked in a panic.

“We still do,” the doctor explained, “but it-a seems as though Luigi doesn’t want to come-a back. He died either of fear, or of embarrassment, and he’s not a-gonna respawn if he thinks that he’s a-gonna just have to face whatever spooked him. Or, whatever ruined his decorations.”

“Heh, either fear or embarrassment? With Luigi, it could be either one,” Falco sneered.

“Ah heyaah!” Link said, defending Luigi’s honor. The room continued to buzz.

“Wait a moment,” K. Rule whispered to the woman standing next to him, “Mario’s not missing though, isn’t he right there? In the doctor outfit?”

“No,” Zero Suit Samus sighed, “trust me, they’re two different people.” This seemed to confuse the crocodile king more.

“ _Enough!_ ” Mewtwo yelled with a flash of psychic energy, taking back control of the room, “Humans! Pokemon! Others! As tragic as this moment is, having the living continue to lurk at this man’s grave helps nothing. Let us return to the ballroom so that the princesses can make peace with this grim reminder of our mortality.” Some of the guests grumbled, but nearly everyone began shuffling out of the scene of the crime.

“De ishuu” Kirby sighed as he walked back to the party.

“No kidding,” Cloud replied, following close behind. As the room emptied, the princesses, Isabelle, Bayonetta and Meta Knight stayed behind in the great hall, taking it all in.

“Well this all is quite the mess,” Bayonetta remarked, placing a heart-shaped lollipop in her mouth and investigating the body more closely.

“Whatever this was, it was personal,” Meta Knight said, holding a burnt streamer with the tip of his sword.

“Oh **Zelda** , I’m so sorry. I knew that I shouldn’t have scheduled the **Mario Brothers** to do all of the decorating by themselves...” Isabelle said in a tizzy, “I didn’t know that there would be fighting even BEFORE the release of Smash!”

“There really shouldn’t have been,” Zelda replied, pensively, “Why would anybody want to do this to Luigi, and to all of his hard work?”

“And where oh where could Mario be?” Peach added, wiping a perfect tear from her eye.

“Gosh, Luigi–what have you gotten yourself into this time?” Daisy said with a chuckle, “Too bad I’m no good at detective work. Luigi’s _never_ gonna come back if we can’t figure out whodunnit.”

“Also, justice will never be served,” Meta Knight interjected.

“Well ladies, and gentle-knight, it looks as though we’ve got proper mystery on our hands,” Bayonetta said with a grin in her voice, “I’ve done my fair share of investigations, I could try my hands at cracking this nut if you’d like.”

“I’m not sure if I could be much help,” Rosalina started, “But me and my Lumas would be more happy to clean up the mess in the dining area,”

“Excellent idea,” said Zelda, “The other princesses and I will try to clean up and re-decorate the main hall before the celebration dinner, and you, Meta Knight, and Isabelle can figure out who did this.”

“W-Wha?!” Isabelle asked as an exclamation point popped over her head, “You want me to help solve a mystery?”

“Of course, Isabelle,” Zelda assured her, “You know more about the guests and the party schedule than anyone. I have no doubt that you’re the key to solving this mystery.” Isabelle blushed–she was nervous, but also fairly excited.

“Lovely; ready to get to work, everyone?” Bayonetta asked. She flicked her finished lollipop stick into a trash can before striking a confident pose.

“Let’s solve this mystery! Or, well, at least do the best that we can,” Isabelle sheepishly offered.

“We will avenge you, Mario Brothers,” Meta Knight vowed before he wrapped himself in his cape, ready to begin. The three could tell that this was just the beginning of a very strange adventure.

* * *

 

“Ok, I’m ready to investigate!” Isabelle said, drawing all the confidence she could, now sporting a sleuthing cap and holding up a large magnifying glass.

“Perfect,” Bayonetta chuckled as she walked back and forth in the grand hall, “May as well start here, where it seems all the action was. Quite a mess they’ve left behind.”

“It seems deliberate,” Meta Knight began, “It’s obvious that there wasn’t much of a struggle when it came to taking out Luigi, and while it may have been harder to overpower Mario, it wouldn’t require carefully destroying every single decoration.”

“Oh my, do you think whoever did this had something against Luigi?” Isabelle asked, looping through her thinking animation.

“Most likely. This does look like the culprit had some personal frustration that they needed to get out of their system,” Bayonetta sighed.

“But who hates Luigi?” Isabelle pondered aloud before coming to a striking thought, “Does this mean that it was Bowser?!”

“Perhaps, but life is rarely that black and white,” Meta Knight stated, measuring the distance between the popped balloon pieces, “We need evidence, not guesses.”

“Right you are, orb man,” Bayonetta agreed, “Isabelle–you seem like the type that wouldn’t mind writing down some notes.”

“Now THAT I can do!” Isabelle answered cheerfully. Her and Bayonetta scoped the room, trying to write down everything they knew so far:

 

 

“Now Isabelle, darling,” Bayonetta began, “What exactly was Luigi’s job? Well, and Mario’s too, I suppose. How long would they have been alone?” Isabelle stowed away her notebook and pulled out her trusty planner.

“ **The Mario Brothers** would have been here all morning, even before the other guests arrived. **Luigi** was in charge of getting the great hall ready and looking perfect, and **Mario** was there to fetch any items that **Luigi** asked for.”

“Perhaps Mario was tired of being bossed around by his younger brother?” Bayonetta suggested, “Threw in the towel? Or his hat, in this case.”

“Oh no!” Isabelle assured her, “ **Mario** just LOVES to collect items that people ask for, especially for his friends. He wouldn’t have had to leave the building though, since all sorts of things can be found in Treasure Chests, Pots, and Hidden Rooms around the castle.”

“He couldn’t leave if he wanted to, since Hyrule Castle is on full lockdown to make sure uninvited guests can’t sneak in,” Meta Knight added, beginning to brush for fingerprints.

“Ah, so that also rules out any troublemakers who were cranky they weren’t invited from being the culprit,” said Bayonetta, “Whoever’s guilty, they’re already a part of the official roster, and are still in the castle.”

“So that means **Mario** is still here somewhere too!” Isabelle exclaimed joyfully.

“Right you are, pup,” Bayonetta said with a wink, “I think now’s as good as ever for us to to schmooze with the other guests, just to see if anyone sweats. You coming, sweetheart?”

“I’ll finish here,” Meta Knight replied, “I need to get every piece of evidence before the princesses can start re-decorating.”

“Don’t have too much fun without us,” Bayonetta called back as she and Isabelle walked out of the great hall.


	2. Boss Tattle

 

Outside, Sonic was leaning casually against the doorframe, tapping his foot at top speed. There was definitely something on his mind, and he kept looking town on his wrist for a watch that wasn’t there. As soon as the two investigators left the great hall, he rushed to intercept them.

“So, what happened? Do you know where Mario is?” he asked, a hint of worry cracking through his usually confident voice.

“Not yet, dear,” Bayonetta replied, “You were the one to find the little mess, right? I didn’t think you were on decoration duty.”

“Oh yeah,” Sonic chuckled, “Mario just asked if I could set the table. You know, since he figured if anyone could get more than seventy table settings down in less than a century, it would be me. I owed him a favor, so I said I’d be there around–well, that I’d be there around five minutes ago–when Mario said Luigi would be done with the tablecloths and stuff.”

“Was there anyone else there when arrived?” Isabelle asked.

“Nope, the place was dead. Uh–no pun intended. Whoops. Anyways, it looked exactly the same as when everyone else got here.”

“And you didn’t peak around before grabbing everyone else?” Bayonetta asked, suspicious.

“Well, no. Look, to be honest, I was afraid that if I went snooping around, someone would think that I was the one that trashed the place,” Sonic admitted.

“Oh Sonic! We would never think you’d do something like that on purpose!” Isabelle reassured her new friend.

“Well, thanks for the trust, but not a lot of folks see it like that,” Sonic said, “I mean, everyone always assumes that Mario’s like, my arch nemesis, and that I have this _huge_ grudge against him. Sure, we didn’t always get along, but we’ve put the past behind us; I just don’t wanna get framed for something that I didn’t do.”

“Well, unless you can run so fast you set streamers on fire, I think that you’re in the clear my dear,” Bayonetta replied.

“Yeah, whoever did this was a total jerk,” said Sonic, “Ruining someone as nice as Luigi’s day. Not cool. Honestly I think it’s pretty obvious who did it.”

“Oh?” Isabelle asked, surprised.

“Totally–it _had_ to be Wario. I’ve met that guy outside here, like at the Olympic games and stuff. He’s a total wacko, and almost as big of a jerk as Dr. Egghead. I bet he got mad because Luigi’s gal pal made it into Ultimate, while his weird friend is probably just going to be an assist trophy again.”

“Weird friend?” Isabelle asked, another question mark appearing above her.

“Yeah, what’s his name... Unluigi? Badluigi? Wah–Waluigi, that’s the one. Those two dudes are _bad news_. I hate to gossip, but if it turns out Wario did this? I wouldn’t be a bit surprised,” Sonic shared.

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Bayonetta said, stroking his head, “Thanks for all your help, sweetheart.”

“Good luck! Oh, and let me know if there’s anything that I can do,” Sonic yelled as he raced off, back to the ballroom.

“It looks like we might have our first lead, but I feel terrible about judging someone before there’s any evidence,” Isabelle said.

“Well dear, that’s why we need to investigate this suspect a little closer, to see if there _is_ any evidence,” Bayonetta replied. 

* * *

 

As the pair opened the door to the ballroom, Isabelle tried to gather her courage– intimidated by the huge crowd inside. There were dozens and dozens of guests, all of them from games that were totally different from her own. Most of the towns and cities that Isabelle had lived in had fewer people in them than this one room.

“Oh Bayonetta, there are so many suspects! I don’t want to think that any of them did it!” Isabelle said, distraught, “How are we ever going to ever save the Mario Brothers?”

“We’re going to take it one step at a time, of course,” the witch replied, “Here–let’s just start with that man that Sonic’s had his eye on.” Isabelle scanned the room for Wario. Had she met him before? He wasn’t on the planning committee for this party, but he was another  Nintendo property, so he couldn’t be too scary. Then again, that’s what she thought before she had to meet Ridley....

“Look, there’s the man of the hour now,” Bayonetta said, pointing to a bar table in the corner. Wario was sitting between King Dedede and King K. Rule, the three of them taking up the entire bar counter. He seemed to be belching out the Dream Land melody, with the two kings roaring with laughter.

“Quite the charmer, isn’t he,” she sighed, unamused. The two approached the table, and Isabelle felt as small as ever.

“Wah, baby! You a-wanna see my WarioWare? Wahaha!” leered Wario, smiling crudely. The three villains laughed as they gawked at Bayonetta.

“N-now, gentlemen,” said Isabelle, flustered, “Remember to keep things E for Everyone!”

“Exactly, boys. I’m rated seventeen and up, not suitable for _children_ ,” Bayonetta teased, choosing to sprawl across the top of the entire bar table as her seat.

“Hey! I’ve been ruling since 1992, lady!” Dedede stubbornly responded.

“Perhaps, but I’ve seen your pecker, dear,” she replied.

“PLEASE!” Isabelle interrupted, halting the less-than-appropriate conversation, “Wario, may we ask you a few questions? About what happened to Luigi?”

“Weh, that loser?” Wario said dismissively, turning back to his rootbeer, “What? You think Wario was the one to spook that weenie? Wahaha! Now why would I do that?”

“A little blue bird told me that he thought you were the jealous type,” Bayonetta said, adjusting to a different but equally ridiculous position.

“Wario, Jealous?” Wario asked, confused, “The only thing that'd make-a me jealous is cold, hard cash! Wahaha!”

“Not even jealous that you didn’t get your lanky little partner in the game with you?” she asked, fixing her glasses.

“Weh, Waluigi? No,” Wario said dismissively, “I’mma in the game, that’s all that-a matters to me. Wario won! And Waluigi lost. I’mma not gonna wait around for a _loser_ to catch up to me–Wario!”

“Well, you may not have been envious of Luigi, but did you trash the main hall, just to cause trouble?” Isabelle asked.

“Waha, trash the main hall...” Wario facetiously pondered, “Though I, Wario, would have _loved_ to trash the fancy-schmancy dining room, the three winners you-a see before you were in the courtyard, admiring Wario’s beautiful motorbike.”

“All morning?” Isabelle asked.

“You need an alibi? Ask Wario’s friends, right here, Wahaha,” he chucked, leaning back next to the other two villains. The two kings smirked back at the detectives, obviously not in a cooperative mood.

“Come on, deary,” Bayonetta said as she slid off the table towards Isabelle, “It seems this gentleman is about as useful as he looks.”

“I can show you a-my smooth moves anytime if you’d a-wanna shake it with me! Wahaha!” Wario jeered as the two investigators walked away.

“Goodness--I hope none of the other fighters in Smash are anything like that group,” Isabelle mumbled, still disgusted by the whole interaction.

“Sorry dear, sometimes I tend to bring out the worst in people. How about we try your theory, instead of some random prick’s guess,” Bayonetta offered, “let’s find--who did you say? Ah, yes, let's find Bowser.” Isabelle sighed, she really didn’t want to talk to any more villains. However, if the mayor was brave enough to fight these tough customers for a whole console generation, then she could gather enough courage to finish the investigation. It didn’t take long before they spotted Bowser–-he had taken over one of the larger tables, and was challenging Ridley to an arm wrestling match.

“Oh dear,” Isabelle murmured, shaking with nervousness, “I hope you don’t mind asking the questions for these two as well.”

“Not at all, I’ve danced with devils much worse than this. Just be sure you’re taking the notes, darling.” The pair walked up to the two monsters that were both struggling to get the upper hand. Bayonetta struck a relaxed pose and cleared her throat to get Bowser’s attention, but as soon as she distracted him, Ridley twisted his arm to slam the koopa’s fist against the table. Bowser loudly grumbled, but the dragon just quietly walked away with the large pile of pokeballs on the table.

“Bwah–what do **you** want?” he snarled, rubbing his sore wrist.

“Sorry big boy, just wanted to ask you a few questions about the little incident this morning,” Bayonetta proposed.

“Wha!? Oh, let me guess-–you think that I was the one who did it, right?” Bowser grumbled loudly, “‘Of course it must have been Bowser! The big scary koopa that just hates those two pesky plumbers with all his guts!’ I’m **not** that petty, you know.”

“No need to get your tail in a twist, we’re just asking everyone for information,” Bayonetta said as she took another lollipop out of her pocket.

“Ah, so it’s just a _coincidence_ that I’m the second person you grill,” Bowser sneered, “If you knew anything about me, you’d know that whatever happened isn’t at all how I like to do business.”

“How _do_ you do business, Mr. Bowser?” Bayonetta asked.

“Well, first off, I couldn’t care _less_ about that green Mario, I don’t even care that much about red Mario! All I care about is Princess Peach–-and taking over everything that I can, Bwahaha! It just so happens that Mario **also** wants the princess, and apparently he has some problem with me taking over the mushroom kingdom. **He’s** the one with the obsession. More importantly, have I ever secretly done any of my evil plans? No! If I’ve got an amazing evil plan, everyone’s gonna know that **BOWSER** is the king of conniving!”

“Fair enough,” Bayonetta replied.

“You know what? I would talk to the fighters that _aren’t_ in my series. Just think for a minute: if I wanted to kidnap Mario or scare his sidekick, why would I wait to do it here? This place is crawling with heroes compared to my universe. Mario’s a big name in gaming, and everyone here knows it. Right now is a lot of bosses’ and heroes’ first chance to finally stick it to him. It doesn’t take a detective to figure that out.”

“Thanks for the tip, we’ll keep that in mind,” Bayonetta noted.

“So sorry about distracting you, sir,” Isabelle nervously apologized.

“You’d better be sorry! That loss is going on your town’s tab, furball!” Bowser threatened before getting up and pushing past the two.

“Oh no, the mayor’s not going to like this...” Isabelle fretted.

“Aw, chin up dearie,” Bayonetta began, holding her assistant’s face, “He seems like a chap that can get his own winnings back. More importantly, we’ve got a few more answers–and we know that we may have been looking at this case all wrong.” Isabelle sniffed, and wiped her face. It was time to be professional.

“Alright–so how SHOULD we look at this case?”

“Right–I say let’s tease out some more hard facts. Who else would have seen the Mario brothers today?”

“Oh! The main hall is connected to the kitchen. **Mr. Game & Watch** was in charge of most of the cooking.”

“Perfect. Let’s sample what the chef has to say.”


	3. Return to Start

 

“ **01010011 01110100 01101111 01110000!** ” Mr. Game & Watch yelled as he attempted to shoo Kirby away from the cupboards once again, “ **01101110 01101111 01110100 00110100 01110101!** ”

“Uwah!” Kirby yelped as he toppled off the counter, knocking several 2D pastries to the floor.

“ **01010000 01001100 01011010!!! 00000111!!** ” the chef yelled, ringing his bell in frustration. Unexpectedly, the door to the main hall opened, and a soft, cream-colored dog’s face peaked into the room.

“ **Mr. Game & Watch** , sir?” Isabelle began, “Would it be alright if me and **Bayonetta** asked you a few questions?” However, while Mr. Game & Watch’s head was turned, Kirby took that opportunity to suck up all of the dropped desserts. What Kirby didn't expect, though, was that Mr. Game & Watch was _also_ standing in the middle of the dropped desserts, and was quickly losing his footing.

“We’re just--GOODNESS!” Isabelle screamed, unsure what to do as Kirby swallowed the chef.

“Now Kirby, spit that nice man out. You don’t know where he’s been,” Bayonetta scolded as she entered the kitchen. Kirby shook his head no, and Isabelle continued to fret in the middle of the room.

“Kirby–now don’t make me do something that neither of us are going to like,” Bayonetta said sharply, “I’m not in the playing mood.” Sadly, Kirby shot the man from his mouth, and Mr. Game & Watch landed with a thud against the oven.

“That’s a good boy. Now run along,” Bayonetta said to the pink puffball. Kirby grabbed a handful of the 2D pastries and ran out the kitchen’s back door.

“ **01101111 01101111 01100110...** ” Mr. Game & Watch mumbled as he choppily got to his feet, “ **00111110 00111010 00101000 00100000 01101011 01101001 01110010 01000010...** ”

“So sorry about that, sir,” Isabelle apologized, handing him back his frying pan and chef’s hat, “We just needed to ask you some questions about what happened to **The Mario Brothers** this morning.”

“ **01101111 01100110 01100011, 01101000 01100001 01110000 01110000 01111001 00110010 01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000** ,” he assured them as he re-equipped his cooking gear.

“Er, Isabelle, sweetheart,” Bayonetta whispered as she pulled her partner to the side, “I hate to be rude, but I haven’t the faintest clue what he’s saying. I’m not sure if this will be, well, an _engaging_ conversation.”

“Oh, don’t worry Miss! I’m fluent in most handheld languages,” Isabelle said proudly, pink flowers appearing cheerily around her head, “I would be more than happy to translate.”

“Marvelous! Then, I think that it’s _your_ turn to lead this interrogation,” Bayonetta smiled. Isabelle blushed, but she was happy that she was finally able to do some real detective work (and not just hide behind Bayonetta).

“ **Mr. Game & Watch**: were you in the kitchen at all when **The Mario Brothers** were decorating the main hall?” she asked.

“ **01111001** ,” he beeped, “ **01000001 01000011 01000011 00100000 01100011 01101000 01000000 00100111 01100100 01001100 01101111 01110100 01110011**.”

“Oh excellent!” Isabelle cheered, “He says that he actually chatted quite a bit with them while they were decorating! So--were you here when the hall was sabotaged, or when Luigi was... m-murdered?”

“ **01101110, 00001110** ” he sighed, “ **01000000 01110100 01110100 01010010.01001111.01000010. 00100000 01001010 01000001 00110100 01001000 01001100 01010000 01101101 01110110 01101110 01000011 01010010 00111000 01010011**.”

“Hmm, he was away from the kitchen when everything happened. It was the end of his first shift, and he was helping R.O.B move some crates in another part of the castle,” Isabelle translated.

“ **01101001 01100100 01101011 01010100 01001001 01001100 0001111, 00100110 01100100 01100001 01111001 01111010 01000100 01001101 01101101 01100101** ,” Game & Watch sadly continued.

“He didn’t even know that the place was trashed or that **The Mario Brothers** were gone, not until he came back for his second shift and **Princess Daisy** told him what happened,” Isabelle concluded, “That sounds like a VERY unpleasant surprise to come back to!” Mr. Game & Watch nodded sadly.

“My my–well was anyone else here during that time?” Bayonetta asked, “Not to doubt your alibi, but just to sniff out any other suspicious characters.”

“ **00000110** ,” he began, “ **01010011 01001101 01000010 01100001 01101100 01101111 01101110 01100101. 01001001 01000100 01001011 01110111 01101000 01101111 01100100 01000010 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101, 01010100 01000010 01001000**.”

“He says that he can’t think of anyone else that would have been here other than the brothers,” Isabelle translated.

“Interesting,” Bayonetta noted.

“ **01010011 01010010 01011001** ,” Game & Watch shrugged.

“Is there anything else you know that you think might be important for solving this mystery?” Isabelle asked, writing down the last of her notes.

“ **01101110** ,” he said, turning back towards his cooking, “ **01000111 01001100 01110100 01101000 01101111**.”

“Well, thank you anyways, **Mr. Game & Watch.** We’ll let you get back to your work,” Isabelle said, waving goodbye as she and Bayonetta exited back into the main hall.

“ **01101111 00100110 01100001 01110011 01101011 01010010 01001111 01000010 01101001 01100110 01000011 01110010 00111000 01110011 01010010 01110010 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100**!” the chef called out as the kitchen doors swung closed.

* * *

Bayonetta sighed, taking her glasses off to clean a spot of flour that somehow managed to dirty the lenses. This case was going nowhere fast, and she was beginning to get bored. It was easy to forget that this crowd wasn’t the type to just start shooting at her as soon as she asked them one question.

“Well that lead was a bust,” she pouted, “Again, shockingly, everyone is innocent, and no one was around when the Mario brothers met their unfortunate fate.” Blowing the flour off didn’t seem to be working, and heaven knows that she didn’t have any loose fabric to wipe the lenses with.

“At least we have more solid information to go off of,” Isabelle said optimistically, handing Bayonetta one of her own handkerchiefs, “If I’ve learned anything being the mayor’s assistant, it’s that anything worth doing takes time.”

“You don’t suppose that that LCD gentleman could have been the culprit, do you?” Bayonetta suggested, wiping her glasses. Shocked, Isabelle shook her head.

“N-no way! **Mr. Game & Watch** has been nothing but friendly since he joined the group on the GameCube!” she defended.

“Sure, but he’s also been nothing but ignored, for the most part. Despite being the most classic character here, it’s Mario that’s been known as ‘Mr. Video Game’, not him.” Bayonetta elegantly slid her glasses back onto her sharp, attractive face before handing back the cloth, while Isabelle pondered this possible motive.

“Maybe, but, no matter what, we need more evidence first,” she said with conviction, “Let’s ask **Meta Knight** if he’s found any more clues while we’re here.” Isabelle looked around the great hall; thankfully, it was already looking a lot better. Daisy was sweeping up the last of the balloons on the floor, a handful of Lumas were scrubbing the soot off the walls, and it seemed like Peach and Zelda had already come up with a new supply list.

“Hey gals! Anyone confessed?” Daisy jokingly yelled from across the room.

“No, not yet!” Isabelle called back with a smile.

“Tell me when you find out whodunnit so I can kick their rump!” Daisy shouted before going back to her sweeping. Meta Knight was standing on the pile of destroyed decorations that the princesses had set aside, intensely dusting for more fingerprints on part of the broken table.

“Great to see you again my mysterious friend,” Bayonetta greeted, “Discovered any fingerprints yet?”

“No, actually,” Meta Knight said flatly, before slapping his dirty gloves together over and over again to remove the dust. The two newly-arrived investigators coughed, and Bayonetta looked in dismay at her now–-once again-–powder covered glasses.

“Well *cough cough* what sort of clues DID you find?” Isabelle asked hoarsely, pulling out her handkerchief to again for her partner.

“Aside from the obvious, not very much,” he replied, swatting at the air to clear the cloud of dust, “However, there was a strange pattern with the balloons–all of them were destroyed with some sort of energy blast.”

“Huh?” Isabelle asked.

“The scorch-marks on the wall show that each of the balloons was destroyed after being shot. This could be from a laser, an energy pistol, or something similar.”

“Interesting,” Bayonetta mused, “Is that also what burned the streamers?”

“I don’t believe so. The burn pattern from the streamers and from other places around the room were too large to be from a concentrated energy blast. This means, along with an energy blast, the culprit also had a fair amount of literal firepower.”

“Hmm, are you saying that whoever did this had an Item?” Isabelle asked.

“Unlikely. Very few items are set to spawn here other than food right now, and smuggling one in would be fairly difficult,” he replied, finally stepping away from what was left of the original crime scene.

“So, energy attacks and fire would have to be part of the guilty party’s moveset,” Bayonetta pondered, slipping her freshly cleaned glasses back on, “That seems like a lot just for one suspect.”

“Yes, that is what I was afraid of,” Meta Knight said stoically, “However, their sloppy work might just give them away...” The sound of shoes tapping across the stone floor suddenly caught his attention.

“Oh excuse me!” Peach asked sweetly, walking up to the group, “Could I ask one of you for help? We’re almost done cleaning everything up, but we can’t get that pesky tablecloth down from the chandelier. It’s just too heavy for Princess Rosalina’s Lumas to lift.”

“Don’t worry, my good lady, I’ll have that tablecloth down for you in a snap,” Bayonetta chimed before taking a running start towards the hanging jumble of cloth and metal. With incredible grace, she skipped, jumped, then double jumped towards the high ceiling. Despite her flourish, she was only able to grab at the edges of the fabric before falling back down to the floor. Though she landed perfectly, she was still miffed at missing the mark.

“My, that light sure is high up there. Not sure if giving it a second try is going to fare much better for me,” she commented, curious how it ended up there in the first place.

“Wait–I will take care of this,” Meta Knight said confidently. In a flash he shot up into the air, his target in his sights. Once at the chandelier, he went to work untangling the cloth with his huge wings keeping him aloft. Just as the last snag was unwrapped from the last metal spike, Meta Knight fell slowly next to the witch, panting heavily.

“That was quite intricate, considering how difficult that fixture is to reach,” he said dubiously. Without sustained flight, it seems that it would be impossible to mangle the tablecloth that high and to that extent. Meta Knight mentally added this to his own notes.

“Oh thank you!” Peach said, pleased, and giving Meta Knight a quick kiss on the top of his head. This surprised him, and his body scrunched up just in case she tried to kiss him again. Even through the mask, though, Isabelle could tell that his face had gone beet red. The princess gave a cheerful wave goodbye as she walked with her toad, carrying the destroyed tablecloth to the trash.

“Aw, no kiss for me?” Bayonetta whined jokingly, eyeing the princess as she walked away.

“I wish that we were able to come up with as many clues as you, **Meta Knight** ,” Isabelle said sadly, “Most of the fighters that we talked with didn’t help very much. Let’s see: **Sonic** was about to help set the table when he found the scene. He ran right back to the group so no one would accidentally suspect him. **Wario** \--oof--he didn’t have much of a motive other than causing trouble, but the only people who were with him for his alibi were two other rough customers: **King Dedede** and **King K. Rule**. **Bowser** is probably in the clear, since this ‘isn’t his style’, but he did think it was someone from another game series, since **The Mario Brothers** are two very big names in gaming. Also, this is one of the only times for most franchises to see both of the brothers. Who else... Oh yes! We talked to **Mr. Game & Watch**, who was cooking in the kitchen for a little bit when the brothers were decorating. However, he had to leave to help **R.O.B.** with a favor, so he didn’t come back until long after the crime.”

“Or so he says,” Bayonetta impishly added.

“Bayonetta!” Isabelle scolded grumpily.

“Hm. Speaking of the kitchen, Daisy found something interesting near the door that connects these two areas of the castle,” Meta Knight added.

“Oh! Well let’s take a look!” said Isabelle. The three made their way to the warmly-colored princess. No matter how much information that they got, the list of suspects still hadn't seemed to get any smaller. Even though everything that they had gathered so far had made sense, Isabelle didn't want to believe that anyone had done this to the brothers on purpose, but the other two detectives seemed to be familiar to a much darker worldview. She wondered what her sisters were up to while she was untangling the details of a murder.

“Princess Daisy,” Bayonetta began as soon as the group was in earshot, “Meta Knight thinks that you found something that might tickle our fancy.”

“Right! Well, I wouldn't say it's _fancy_ , but I noticed these scuffs on the floor when I was cleanin’ up over here,” she said, motioning to what looked like skid marks near the door to the kitchen. Bayonetta and Isabelle leaned in to take a closer look.

“These look like they might be from some sort of vehicle,” the soft dog began, “Wait! Does that mean that this was all Captain Falcon?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Captain Falcon doesn’t _drive_ ,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes.

“In any case-–the car he has doesn’t have wheels, it hovers,” Bayonetta said, trying to find a pattern in the clue left on the stone floor, "Someone–or a group of someones–with a grudge against the Mario brothers used energy attacks, fire, flight, and a car to kidnap the most iconic hero in video games, then scared the other brother to death. Either that, or this Luigi is just very, very bad at putting together party decorations."

“Well, we’ve done all that we can do in this room,” Meta Knight said, adjusting his gloves, “It’s time to look elsewhere.”

“Alright, good luck you guys,” Daisy said, “Don’t kick the killer’s but too hard without me, you hear?”

“Is there anything left that you princesses need for decorating?” Isabelle asked.

“Nah, Zelda’s already got some green elf guy running around fetching everything, so we’ve already got us a big, strong hero to keep us safe and grab random garbage,” Daisy laughed.

“In that case, I think it’s time to properly sniff out this killer,” Bayonetta said with a gleam in her eye.


	4. Choose Your Fighter

“Fires, lasers, and tire tracks, oh my,” Bayonetta mulled over aloud as her heels clicked on the stone floors, retracing her steps back to the ballroom. Behind her was the hurried stomp of Meta Knight’s metal boots. Though he had no trouble keeping pace with Bayonetta’s quick stride in the ancient hallway, his mind was still on the great hall.

“With so many suspects, it’d be unfortunate for any clues to fall through the cracks,” he mused, “Especially if it was a group.”

“Leave that! *huff puff* To! *huff puff* Me!” Isabelle offered, needing to run to keep up with the group. Though she never had trouble keeping up with the mayor on their walks through town, she was beginning to realize that Bayonetta had significantly longer legs.

“Perfect!” Bayonetta cheered, “To speed the process up, let’s not focus on anyone that couldn’t do the types of damage that we saw in there just yet. You have the guest list, right pup? How long would it take to, say, match each clue to fighters that have that ability in their moveset?”

“...aaaaand--done!” Isabelle said triumphantly before returning her pencil to her inventory, “This should be everyone. The clues were just lasered balloons, fire-singed streamers, broken table, and the wheel marks?”

“Wait a moment, how did you–” Bayonetta said, flustered.

“Don’t forget whoever did this need to sustain flight long enough to tangle that fabric in the chandelier,” Meta Knight added.

“Right!” Isabelle said, jotting down fighters in the overlooked category.

“I see why Villager speaks so highly of you,” said Bayonetta as she proudly looked over her partner’s shoulder to see the notes.

“Oh goodness,” Isabelle said, embarrassed, “Well you can’t help run a town without good organization.”“Alright, enough suspense,” Bayonetta said, “Let’s see the lists.

“Well you certainly work fast,” Bayonetta said, impressed.“A very comprehensive analysis,” Meta Knight congratulated, “This will simplify the investigation greatly.”

“Thank you so much!” Isabelle said, blushing, “Though I haven’t seen _everyone_ in action yet, I did find a very comprehensive list of everyone’s movesets and capabilities from Brawl! For everyone that was added after the Wii version, I took my best guesses from what I HAVE seen of them.”

“My goodness!” Shulk remarked, suddenly standing behind the group, “I didn’t even realize how many of us there were. _Wait_ – _another vision.._.” The group turned around with a start, all shocked to have not heard the boy walk up. Meta Knight disappeared in a flash, and, running on instinct, Bayonetta summoned a giant closed fist to attack the unexpected intruder. However, Shulk was ready, and as time slowed around him, he diverted the attack perfectly. Meanwhile, Isabelle was crying while running in place. 

“Ok– _my_ turn,” Shulk said, putting the Monado to the side to show he wasn’t here to attack, “Sorry to sneak up on you all, I really didn’t mean to surprise you.” Meta Knight re-appeared with the sound of his cape slicing through the air, then put his own sword away.

“No worries darling, I suppose we were a little distracted. Here to check up on the case, hmm?” Bayonetta asked.

“Oh no! Well, maybe, I mean” Shulk started; it seemed as though he wasn’t quite sure why he was here himself, “To be honest, I was mostly just bored, and looking for something to do. It’s rough trying to mingle when there’s nobody else from my game here. There’s not even anyone with a story similar to mine...”

“Oh I doubt that, sweetie,” Bayonetta assured him, “At the very least, judging by that attack there, I’d say that at least our down specials have something in common.”

“Would you want to help us try to solve the case?” Isabelle asked.

“No thanks,” Shulk replied, “I haven’t always been the best at figuring out secrets. Wait a minute–I think one of the fighters here is from an espionage and mystery-focused game. Do you think he’d help with something like this?”

“Oh they sound perfect! I am always thankful for a partner with experience,” said Bayonetta.

“Of course,” Meta Knight mused, “The spy from the critically-acclaimed stealth game, Metal Gear Solid. If he has the intelligence to follow the many plot points of that series, he’d be the expert we need to connect the dots of this case.”

“Um, sure! Happy to help. If you need me, I guess I’ll just be–wandering around the castle...” Shulk said.

“Poppycock, I can’t have a talented boy like you wasting away, all alone in this castle. We’re supposed to be _getting to know each other_ ,” Bayonetta assured him, her hands running along his shoulders, “Let’s see if I can help you–make a few connections. I’ll catch back up with you two in a little bit, alright?”

“Oh! But Miss **Bayonetta--** ” Isabelle started, nervous to lose her crime-solving partner.

“Leave her, Isabelle,” said Meta Knight, “It seems she needs to get her own sort of investigation work done. Let her take a break, and we’ll share what we’ve gotten.” Though Isabelle was still nervous–and a little sad that she wouldn’t have Bayonetta’s help for their next interrogation–she trusted Meta Knight. He did seem as though he’d be the perfect person to have on your side when dealing with tough customers. 

“W-well, have a fun break Miss!” Isabelle called out to the two already leaving.

“Oh don’t you worry your fuzzy little ears, Isabelle. I’m sure we will!” Bayonetta called back, one arm holding the young man beside her, and the other sticking a fresh lollipop into her mouth. 

 

* * *

 “Oh no... we should have asked **Shulk** if he knew where to find **Solid Snake**!” Isabelle said dejectedly. Even though her and Meta Knight had been wandering the halls with focus and efficiency, the rooms of the great castle seemed endless. The celebration dinner was only in a few hours, but trying to find a stealth expert in a centuries-old fortress was beginning to seem impossible. As she walked down this new corridor, it was clear how different these games could be from one another. This castle was larger than any town or city that she had ever lived in, and it was just a small part of a bigger world. 

“Can we please ask the next group we find if they’ve seen Snake?” Isabelle implored.

“It seems foolish to give away our strategy, we must keep the enemy on their toes,” Meta Knight said in a hushed tone, disappearing then reappearing behind one of the great hall’s curtains.

“I guess you would know best, but we’re losing time. I really want the Mario Brothers to be there for the celebration dinner! This is the first time that everyone is here, after all!” she replied, beaming.

“Very well. I suppose that I may be overestimating the danger of–” Meta Knight began before a loud boom of someone being thrown against a wall erupted just a short way in front of the two. Running ahead, they could hear loud snarling, the sound of claws scratching against stone, and smell the smoke that had filled the air. Afraid that someone was getting hurt, Isabelle ran towards the commotion as fast as she could. Meta Knight called out after her to stop, but the mayor’s assistant couldn’t just stand by if someone else was getting hurt.

Isabelle slid into the room, her fuzzy paws still not used to the slick tiled floors. As soon as she regained her balance, though, she could see a razor-sharp, green blade heading straight for her. It was all happening faster than Meta Knight could keep up with, and he feared that he couldn’t save her in time, but in a split second of panic–Isabelle reached forward and pocketed the projectile. Everyone stood stunned as Isabelle carefully peeked out from behind her hands, seeing if she was clear of danger.

“That was amazing! Are you ok?” a young boy in a red cap shouted from across the room, running forwards to check on the unexpected guest.

“Oh! I think I’m fine, just... very surprised,” Isabelle laughed, sweating a bit and bashfully rubbing the back of her head.

“Saur! Ivy saur saur,” the boy’s turquoise pokemon shouted, concerned.

“Ivysaur says she’s sorry!,” the trainer began, “We were just battling our pokemon!” He gestured to his Ivysaur and the Incineroar in some sort of hastily-made arena.

“The guy who said he owned the castle said that it would be alright if everyone from Pokemon wanted to use this old guard’s chamber to fight,” the boy continued.

“Roa-roar! Incineroar roar ra-ha!” the towering cat creature laughed. 

“No, Incineroar, that does _not_ mean that you win by default,” Lucario sighed, annoyed. He seemed to be acting as the referee from his seat in the makeshift stands. Glancing across the room, it seemed like every fighter from the Pokemon series was here, waiting to fight together. Even though Isabelle didn’t care for fighting, it was nice to see more furry faces for a change. Well, furry faces, two trainers, and––Ken, for some reason. He was also sitting in the stands, watching the action.

“Our apologies for interrupting,” Meta Knight began, “I do not think Isabelle knew what was happening, and may have thought that someone was getting hurt.”

“Incine roar roar! Roar ro-incineroar!” Incineroar teased as he playfully ruffled the ivysaur’s leaves. The grass pokemon grumbled, but didn’t step away.

“Pikachu!” the electric mouse pokemon added, cheerfully.

“Oh! Wonderful! Well, I’m glad that you’re all having fun,” Isabelle said, still a little shaken from the unexpected kerfuffle, “I don’t want to interrupt, so, I suppose that I’ll see you at the feast later tonight!”

“Isabelle,” Meta Knight began, supportively, “Aren’t there any questions that you had wanted to ask, say, the next group of fighters that you saw?” 

“Oh! Yes!” Isabelle said with surprise, “Have all of you heard about what happened in the great hall?”

“Of course,” Mewtwo shared telepathically, “We were all there when the Sonic creature showed us what he found.

“Oh no, I hope that you don’t think that we had anything to do with it,” the young girl trainer said, holding her squirtle tightly to her chest.

“Squirtle squirtle,” said her pokemon.

“Oh goodness no! I don’t think that any of you are guilty... but... I was wondering if you had any ideas about the case, or more importantly, knew where Solid Snake is,” Isabelle replied.

“Gren gren, ja ja ja ninja?” Greninja asked.

“Why are you looking for Solid Snake?” Lucario translated.

“We weren’t having much luck solving the case on our own, and thought that maybe someone from a mystery game would have better luck,” Isabelle answered “So, have any of you seen him?”. Most of the Pokemon just shrugged or shook their heads, but Mewtwo closed his eyes and focused intensely. After a brief pause, his eyes shot open, and he turned towards the Animal Crossing character.

“The human ‘Solid Snake’ is in the hidden room found in the library,” he shared, flatly, “The dog and duck appear to be guarding the door, so it should be easy to find.”

“Thank you so much,” Isabelle said with relief, “We really appreciate your help, we’ve been looking for so long. Well, I guess there’s no real reason to rush. Though it’d be nice to have the **Mario Brothers** here for the banquet, it’s not the end of the world if they don’t make it.” An awkward silence fell over the room, and the Pokemon trainer, Lucario, and Mewtwo all looked away uncomfortably. Isabelle was confused.

“Unfortunately, we do not have as much time as you might think, Isabelle,” Meta Knight explained in a somewhat dire tone, “Though the final list of fighters is _chosen_ , none of us are locked in yet until the banquet. If Mario and Luigi cannot be found before the dinner starts–”

“Then they are doomed to be absent from the game,” Mewtwo said bitterly, a shadow falling over him as he looked away in frustration.

“I don’t understand...” Isabelle began.

“For our appearance in Brawl,” Lucario began, “It wasn’t clear that the celebration dinner was mandatory. Though me and most of the other fighters went regardless, some of us–”

“I felt that isolated meditation was more important that an empty, self-congratulatory diversion,” Mewtwo began again, “so I did not go to the prepared dinner for the game’s third installment. However since I wasn’t able to sit in the spot chosen for me, I was not considered part of the Brawl game’s cast. I was locked out, unable to fight anywhere except in Melee.”

“Pika, pika pi pika chu. Pika pika pika, pikachu.” 

“Mewtwo nearly wasn’t in the next installment either,” Lucario translated, “Feeling rightfully insulted, he refused the next dinner. Later, Master Hand apologized personally, and offered him a special spot, through paid DLC. Mewtwo was lucky–he was one of the few characters that fans would be willing to pay for. Who knows if the rest of us would even be considered? Regardless, he still missed the initial release, and went absent from hundreds of versions of the previous game.”

“Chu chu!” pikachu shouted

“I know,” Lucario said, pulling pikachu aside to talk, “Well, I added a lot onto what you had said because I wasn’t sure if they had the context for everything that had happened.”

“Wait a minute...” Isabelle began, “So that means, that if we can’t solve this mystery and find Mario before the celebration dinner, they won’t be in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s opening roster?”

“Correct,” said Meta Knight. 

“B-but, they’re the **Mario Brothers**! They’d definitely be in DLC, right?” Isabelle asked.

“Sure people recognize them, but how many people would pay an extra six bucks for two of the most basic characters in the game?” the boy trainer asked. 

“Don’t be rude,” his female counterpart yelled as she tossed an empty pokeball at his head, “But, well that is a good point. I remember that Lucas kid talking about how mean players were to him when he cost extra to be added on, since his friend Ness is pretty similar.”

“Regardless–DLC will always communicate extraneous,” Mewtwo shared, “Kicking Mario and his brother out of a gaming event of this scale would certainly send a notable message”

“Hey, uh, so then, shouldn’t you guys get going?” Ken blurted from his seat, “You should find the Snake guy, and we can continue the fight that was going on in here?”

“That would be wise,” Meta Knight said, putting his large hand on Isabelle’s shoulder, “Come–we haven’t much time to waste.”


End file.
